DOOM Movie Review (2005)

Here’s a question.
How do you make a film based on a mega famous video game staring the Rock, Karl Urban, Rosamund pike stuck in a facility filled with killer mutants boring? Well Director Andrzei Bartkowiak found away. I could go into the details of the back stories of some of the grunts who go into battle here but, it really doesn’t matter. They are all massive clichés who meet their end in mostly boring ways. I say mostly boring ways, but the film is so dark at times its hard to see the badly choregraphed action.
So, I guess we better talk about the story. A portal is found in the Nevada dessert which leads to an ancient city on Mars. A research facility is set up and twenty years later its heavily populated. After an attack by an unknown being Marines are set in to sort out the mess. Once we get there it becomes apparent that the danger comes from a non-human enemy. That’s the basic premise, which does not sound to bad if the directing was not so pedestrian. The monsters are lazy mix between zombie type and some sort of lazily designed demon form. I remember the game being more inventive than that. From here the film is your typical low budget action movie, with the marines being killed off in ridiculously dark corridors. Dull, dull, dull.
However, there some redeeming factors.
The future Dr McCoy Karl Urban is as likable as ever, the Rock has charisma to spare and Rosamund Pike, when she’s not being asked to scream her head off is a much needed relief from all the testosterone on display. The Rock has a surprising heel turn which I didn’t see coming and his line, “I’m not supposed to die” as he’s being pulled away to his apparent death is the funniest line in the movie. There is also a decent five minute or so scene in a first person shooting view. It’s an interesting scene which makes you wish the whole project could have been more creative in general. But none of this can save this film from being tedious and utter waste of your time.

Pros
The Rocks “death” line is extremely funny
The main cast is good
FPS scene is okay

Cons
The movie is ridiculously dark
Uninspiring action
Super dull
Most of the cast are terrible
Did I mention it was super dull?

Summary
Avoid like some kind of mutated plague. The curse of the bad video game movie didn’t end here. A perfect example of how not to try and do one.